The Arizona Republic reported in December 2009 that the Fiesta Bowl had reimbursed employees for making campaign donations to politicians, a potential felony. That report was dismissed by the bowl. As The Republic continued to report on the bowl's activities, a Fiesta Bowl employee came forward in September 2010 to affirm to the Fiesta Bowl's chairman that reimbursements had, in fact, occurred. That launched a full internal investigation resulting in the bowl's admissions earlier this year that the newspaper reports had been correct.

The U.S. Attorney's Office has agreed not to seek jail time for the Fiesta Bowl's former chief operating officer, who has recently aided authorities after admitting involvement in an illegal campaign-contribution scheme at the bowl.

John MacDonald, an ex-Fiesta Bowl lobbyist, has entered into a plea agreement with the Arizona Attorney General's Office under which he will plead guilty to a misdemeanor for his role in currying favor with lawmakers to benefit the bowl.

The BCS is dead. Actually, it's on life support for just two more years. But college presidents who oversee the controversial Bowl Championship Series agreed here Tuesday to replace the BCS with a four-team playoff for college football in 2014-15.

College football has always relied on polls and bowls to crown a national championship. It is an inexact science that has left many fans frustrated and wondering why they can't settle it on the field -- like every other sport -- with a playoff.

A state lawmaker unable to convince legislative leaders to convene formal hearings on corruption in the Arizona National Guard is planning an open forum next week to discuss a federal report on systemic misconduct within the military organization.

Ben Arredondo, a state representative and former Tempe City Councilman, was charged with bribery, mail fraud, extortion and lying in a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday for allegedly demanding and accepting gifts and other items from a company that was actually fronted by undercover FBI agents.
The indictment against Ben Arredondo

A federal judge Tuesday postponed sentencing until late July for former Fiesta Bowl Chief Executive John Junker, who has pleaded guilty for his involvement in a conspiracy where bowl employees were reimbursed with bowl funds for making political campaign contributions.

A Maricopa County judge has agreed to postpone former Fiesta Bowl Chief Executive John Junker's sentencing from today to July 26, because Junker still is assisting the state in its investigation of the bowl.

Attorney General Tom Horne did not recuse his office from handling a Fiesta Bowl investigation involving powerful political allies until after one of his deputies recommended misdemeanor charges against them, documents obtained by The Arizona Republic show.
Proposals on Fiesta Bowl issues shot down | Investigation

Efforts to tighten campaign-finance laws, ban freebies to lawmakers and rein in lobbyist contributions to legislators in the wake of the Fiesta Bowl scandal hit a brick wall in the state Senate this week.

Federal prosecutors this month obtained guilty pleas to federal conspiracy charges from former Fiesta Bowl employees. Their written plea agreements outline a continuing federal investigative focus on a bowl lobbyist identified only as "Lobbyist C" who was intimately involved in the fundraising scheme.

Former Fiesta Bowl Chief Executive John Junker, another former bowl officer and a current high-ranking bowl employee pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges stemming from their roles in a fraudulent campaign-contribution scheme.

Officials from Tempe-based Insight Enterprises Inc. and the Fiesta Bowl traveled to New York in mid-December to ring the Nasdaq Stock Market's opening bell in celebration of college football's Insight Bowl. The good cheer, however, is over.

The Fiesta Bowl scandal has prompted state lawmakers to push legislation that would include an outright ban on gifts to legislators as well prohibit lobbyist contributions at any time to political candidates.

Attorneys for Natalie Wisneski, the Fiesta Bowl's former chief operating officer, are asking a federal judge to toss two of the nine charges against her that stem from an alleged scheme in which bowl employees were reimbursed for making political-campaign contributions.

Boivin: In a college sports year so scandalous and slimy it should be subjected to a full-strength Hazmat power wash, it was refreshing to watch a Tostitos Fiesta Bowl that delivered all the best the game has to offer.

As Stanford and Oklahoma State squared off at University of Phoenix Stadium in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, we couldn't help thinking of the game exactly 25 years earlier to the day that made the Fiesta a major player in college football.

Impact players make their presence felt during a game, and they have a knack for making their teammates better. What separates a few from the crowd is their ability to create that same dynamic off the field.

The best players on their respective teams, quarterbacks Brandon Weeden of Oklahoma State and Stanford's Andrew Luck, have achieved success because of their great preparation, Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said.

Nothing around the Scottsdale resort where the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl has taken temporary residence suggests it is housing an organization that took a plunge into an abyss of excessive spending and political shenanigans.
Parade, weather shine for thousands |

The Stanford quarterback likely would prefer talking about Taliesin West - winter home in Scottsdale of renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright from 1937-59 - than dodging questions about his NFL future.

Coby Fleener wasn't exactly a can't-miss prospect coming out of Joliet Catholic Academy in Lemont, Ill. In fact, the Stanford senior tight end didn't even see much of the field until his senior season.

Today is the deadline for lawmakers and other elected officials to respond to a Fiesta Bowl request for information about thousands of dollars of benefits and gifts they received since 2002.
Politicians asked to repay | Bowl special section

From 2006-09, the Cardinals said they gave dozens of state lawmakers free tickets to NFL games. The goal, said the organization: to improve its standing at the Arizona Legislature after losing battles to the Fiesta Bowl over stadium-sharing issues.

The Arizona Board of Regents on Saturday appointed Eugene G. Sander as interim president of the University of Arizona, less than a week after former UA President Robert Shelton resigned to run the Fiesta Bowl.

Just days after University of Arizona President Robert Shelton said he was resigning to run the Fiesta Bowl, the Arizona Board of Regents will take steps to ensure another university president's continued employment.

Chelsea Kane, who recently changed her last name from Staub, has grown up since she last graced the pages of The Arizona Republic - it was New Year's Eve 2009, and she was an honorary grand marshal for the Fiesta Bowl Parade.

The NCAA Postseason Bowl Licensing Subcommittee today reaffirmed bowl licenses for the Tostitos Fiesta and Insight bowls on a one-year probationary period, but will ask for a progress report next year on steps it has taken to assure its management and business plans are sound.

A pair of friendly politicians to the Fiesta Bowl also happen to sit high on the list of gift recipients.
Pearce's statement | Pearce, Arredondo timelines
Lawmakers eyed in ethics review | Bowl stays in BCS

Sen. Ron Gould, chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee, said this week that his review of financial disclosure forms and other records indicates that some current and former state senators did inappropriately accept free game tickets and other gifts from the Fiesta Bowl.

Sen. Ron Gould, chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee, said this week that his review of financial disclosure forms and other records indicates that some current and former state senators did inappropriately accept free game tickets and other gifts from the Fiesta Bowl.

WASHINGTON - The Fiesta Bowl will be allowed to remain part of the Bowl Championship Series, though it must pay a $1 million fine for apparent illegal campaign contributions and inappropriate spending.

NEW ORLEANS - Two of the Fiesta Bowl's fellow members in the Bowl Championship Series say they have long had and followed policies to prevent the kind of problems that hurt the Arizona-based college football game.

Arizona House Speaker Kirk Adams is the latest politician to be swept into the Fiesta Bowl scandal, saying Wednesday that he would reimburse the bowl more than $1,000 for a 2007 bowl-sponsored trip he took with other lawmakers to Pasadena, Calif.

Ariz. is one of 10 state that doesn't have an outside agency tasked with reviewing lawmakers reports.
Fiesta Bowl to meet with NCAA; licensing at stake
Donations went to Brewer | Bowl licensing at stake

A Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group has filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission, asking the agency to investigate whether the Fiesta Bowl broke campaign-finance laws by allegedly reimbursing employees for political donations made to Arizona candidates.

Gov. Jan Brewer on Monday issued a statement in which she expressed ''great disappointment and sadness'' over the Fiesta Bowl scandal and pledged to convene a panel of Arizona business and athletic leaders to help the bowl repair its image.

The conduct of attorneys representing the Fiesta Bowl may come under scrutiny, in addition to any criminal investigations that may arise out of the bowl's report into the organization's financial, political and lobbying activities.

This year's Fiesta Frolic, a three-day spring retreat at a local resort for college football coaches, athletic directors and conference commissioners, has been canceled as the Fiesta Bowl works to repair its image.

Fallout from the Fiesta Bowl scandal continued at the Arizona Capitol on Thursday as the chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee launched an inquiry into certain lobbying activities and campaign donations.

A Maricopa County sheriff's deputy who oversaw security for the Fiesta Bowl remains the subject of an internal Sheriff's Office investigation to determine whether he performed bowl work while on county time.

Tostitos and some other major sponsors of the Fiesta Bowl are undecided whether they will continue to support the event in the wake of the non-profit's firing its CEO and potentially illegal conduct among its employees.

Join Arizona Republic reporter Craig Harris from noon to 12:30 p.m. today to talk about the fallout from yesterday's report on misconduct and possible illegal activity at the Fiesta Bowl. Harris, an award-winning investigative reporter, began writing about problems at the Fiesta Bowl in 2009. His stories prompted the 5-month investigation that led to yesterday's scathing report.

the expense reimbursements: For more than two decades, John Junker was the corporate face of the Fiesta Bowl. During his tenure, Junker transformed the bowl into a major player in college football, but the bowl's chief executive had broad discretion in spending money from the four non-profits that run the bowl, according to a Fiesta Bowl Special Committee investigation. According to the bowl's investigative report:

Fiesta Bowl investigators have found evidence of potentially illegal employee conduct and spending irregularities that could jeopardize its non-profit status and prestigious role in college football's national championship series.

The Fiesta Bowl and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office are separately investigating a financial arrangement that last year paid more than a half-million dollars to a firm that provided security for the bowl.